The Official NASA Photograph of the Planting of the American Flag on the Moon, Signed by Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, and Presented to the Governor of Idaho

“Presented… during the visit of the Apollo 11 command spacecraft and lunar rock sample displayed in the capitol, May 15-18, 1970.”

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave a historic speech before a joint session of Congress that set the United States on a course to the moon. In his speech, Kennedy called for an ambitious space exploration program, making the then-daring pronouncement, “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” The country was filled with enthusiasm for the project, and it proved wildly popular. The Mercury and Gemini programs were necessary preparations, and they ran from 1961-1967. They were successful, and in 1967 the Apollo program got under way to accomplish Kennedy’s goal of a moon landing.

It would fall to the lot of Apollo 11 to be the spacecraft that actually accomplished the moon landing. Its three-man crew were all experienced astronauts. Neil Armstrong, who would be the first person to step foot on the moon, had previously piloted Gemini 8, the first time two vehicles docked in space. Buzz Aldrin piloted Gemini 12, taking a two-hour, twenty-minute walk in space to demonstrate that an astronaut could work efficiently outside of the vehicle. For Apollo 11, he served as the pilot of the lunar module. Michael Collins, pilot of Apollo 11’s command module “Columbia”, had been the pilot of Gemini 10, spending almost an hour and a half outside of the craft on a space-walk and becoming the first person to meet another spacecraft in orbit. Apollo 11 launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 16, 1969. While in flight, the crew made two televised broadcasts from the interior of the ship, and a third transmission as they drew closer to the moon, revealing the lunar surface and the intended approach path. On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin entered the lunar module, nicknamed the “Eagle” and descended to the lunar surface. While on the surface, the astronauts set up several experiments, collected samples of lunar soil and rock to bring home, erected a United States flag, and took core samples from the crust. After 21 1/2 hours on the moon, the lunar module blasted back to where Collins sat in the Columbia. The two vehicles docked, and the crew and samples transferred to the command module before the Eagle was jettisoned into space. The astronauts headed back home, landing on July 24. The world was agog over this achievement. After being released from a three-week quarantine, the three astronauts were greeted with ticker-tape parades in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Literally millions of people turned out. They had the world’s attention, and they were honored everywhere. They would soon do an around-the-world tour.

The command module “Columbia” was the living quarters for the three-person crew during the mission, and it was the only part of the Apollo 11 spacecraft to return to earth. It was scheduled to be transferred to the Smithsonian in 1970, but before doing so, NASA sponsored a 50-state tour of American cities that took the command module to the people around the country. At least one of the astronauts appeared at the exhibitions in each place. The exhibit’s host in Idaho was Governor Don Samuelson. He had previously presented the wives of the Apollo 11 astronauts star garnet pendants, and the astronauts themselves with life memberships in the Idaho Gem Club for the rock collecting in the moon.

Afterwards, Samuelson received a large 11 by 16 inch color photograph of Neil Armstrong on the moon with the American flag, signed by all three Apollo 11 astronauts. The photograph is inscribed, “Presented to Governor Don Samuelson of the State of Idaho and its people in appreciation of their hospitality during the visit of the Apollo 11 command spacecraft and lunar rock sample displayed in the capitol, May 15-18, 1970.” Governor Samuelson treasured this photograph, keeping it on his wall until the day he died. We obtained it from the Samuelson descendants, and it has never before been offered for sale.